3/22/15 - Long Day - Some Results
Mar 23, 2015 8:32:09 GMT -5
widgeon3, formula180, and 1 more like this
Post by mwardncsu on Mar 23, 2015 8:32:09 GMT -5
Weather: overcast to start, giving way to sunny, blue-bird skies late morning. Light to no wind early, then around 10 from NW as the afternoon went on
Water: 47-55 depending on spots, depths & time of day, visibility ranged from almost none to several feet
Techniques: Mostly pulling big gizzards on freeline planers & a freeline float - added a few lightlines & downlines with some silver-dollar to money-maker gizzards in the afternoon. All action came off the boards today.
Started the morning around 7 am pulling my own creek - feel like I too often ignore the waters closest, so I gave it an hour and a half this AM. I had a swirl on a bait 1st thing as I was putting out the boards & floats & setting put and thought it might be "on" - but other than a nervous bait or two afterwards it was not to be.
Around 8:30a, I picked up and moved to another creek which was good to us in the mornings last Spring.... it was not so today. Looking back at my notes from last year, it was actually a week or two later that it was good and not till the water was in the low/mid 50's - was 47-48 today....
Around 9:30a I switched to another branch of the main creek and pulled a long bank with a fair bit of downed timber & a few secondary points. Finally found a fish that wanted to play. This one hit my board closest to the bank (and the timber) and took the other two boards for a ride with it. Threw those reels in free-spool and brought the fish to the boat - a decent 33" 13.5 lber - along with the two other baits, boards & a whole lot of tangled up mono.
This......
Equals this.....
Spend the next 10-15 minutes cutting & retying and then set back up to pull that stretch again. Had a miss and then a bit on down had a board get burried hard and fast. Grabbed the rod and it felt like a good fish - was working the rod around the others and to the back of the boat when I felt a "pop"
Leader broke or was cut at or near the hook. I had just retied, but used a Uni-knot to the hook vs. snelling - not sure if I had a bad knot, or if perhaps the fish was hooked with the stinger and rolled it the leader with its gill plates or what..... oh well - I'll be back for that one next weekend....
Around 11 or 11:30 I moved to another creek - had a hit but set the hook on the board too soon..... made another pass with no results and the rest of the creek was dead.
Stopped for lunch around 1, refueled the stomach and then the boat's gas tank and then headed to yet a different creek.
Found the fish right where I expected them to be. Missed one right off the bat - circled around and made another pass..... hooked up this time with a nice chunky 17 lber that went 35", but could only get him to pose as 34.75"
Picked up after that and made a move to what was going to be my last creek. Did not plan to stay long but ended up finishing the day there..... Had a lot of nervous bait, baits coming to the surface and marked fish on the graph - but could not get them to eat - even after putting out some downlines & lightlines to mix. I did get one missed hook-up, but that was it.
Thought it might turn on a few hours before dark so I stayed and worked the area, pulled a few other banks nearby but it was not to be. All I got for my trouble was more trouble. Had a reel backlash when letting out a board and while I was stopped to clear it I did't pay attention to the light lines getting tangled with a board and made a incredible mess. Got that dealt with and them promptly hung a board up in a blow-down. Said a few choice words and about threw all of it into the lake.... finally decided to call it and headed to the house about 6:30....
Should have headed to a different part of the lake where I knew the fish were in higher quantities, but I also knew there would be a lot more fishing pressure and was looking to find a new spring pattern. Fished 6 creeks and think I had a hit on a board in 5 of the 6, and a swirl in the one that I didn't get a hit on - so at least I confirmed where some fish where - they just were not in eating mood today. Still managed 2 fish to the boat - one being a nice 17 lber - and the one that "could have been" which broke off..... If it wasn't for all the tangled mess at the end of the day it would have been pretty enjoyable.... should have cut my losses earlier than I did.... I think the jet-lag was contributing to my neglect and then foul mood at the end...... back to work this week so I can catch up on my sleep & be ready for next weekend
Water: 47-55 depending on spots, depths & time of day, visibility ranged from almost none to several feet
Techniques: Mostly pulling big gizzards on freeline planers & a freeline float - added a few lightlines & downlines with some silver-dollar to money-maker gizzards in the afternoon. All action came off the boards today.
Started the morning around 7 am pulling my own creek - feel like I too often ignore the waters closest, so I gave it an hour and a half this AM. I had a swirl on a bait 1st thing as I was putting out the boards & floats & setting put and thought it might be "on" - but other than a nervous bait or two afterwards it was not to be.
Around 8:30a, I picked up and moved to another creek which was good to us in the mornings last Spring.... it was not so today. Looking back at my notes from last year, it was actually a week or two later that it was good and not till the water was in the low/mid 50's - was 47-48 today....
Around 9:30a I switched to another branch of the main creek and pulled a long bank with a fair bit of downed timber & a few secondary points. Finally found a fish that wanted to play. This one hit my board closest to the bank (and the timber) and took the other two boards for a ride with it. Threw those reels in free-spool and brought the fish to the boat - a decent 33" 13.5 lber - along with the two other baits, boards & a whole lot of tangled up mono.
This......
Equals this.....
Spend the next 10-15 minutes cutting & retying and then set back up to pull that stretch again. Had a miss and then a bit on down had a board get burried hard and fast. Grabbed the rod and it felt like a good fish - was working the rod around the others and to the back of the boat when I felt a "pop"
Leader broke or was cut at or near the hook. I had just retied, but used a Uni-knot to the hook vs. snelling - not sure if I had a bad knot, or if perhaps the fish was hooked with the stinger and rolled it the leader with its gill plates or what..... oh well - I'll be back for that one next weekend....Around 11 or 11:30 I moved to another creek - had a hit but set the hook on the board too soon..... made another pass with no results and the rest of the creek was dead.
Stopped for lunch around 1, refueled the stomach and then the boat's gas tank and then headed to yet a different creek.
Found the fish right where I expected them to be. Missed one right off the bat - circled around and made another pass..... hooked up this time with a nice chunky 17 lber that went 35", but could only get him to pose as 34.75"
Picked up after that and made a move to what was going to be my last creek. Did not plan to stay long but ended up finishing the day there..... Had a lot of nervous bait, baits coming to the surface and marked fish on the graph - but could not get them to eat - even after putting out some downlines & lightlines to mix. I did get one missed hook-up, but that was it.
Thought it might turn on a few hours before dark so I stayed and worked the area, pulled a few other banks nearby but it was not to be. All I got for my trouble was more trouble. Had a reel backlash when letting out a board and while I was stopped to clear it I did't pay attention to the light lines getting tangled with a board and made a incredible mess. Got that dealt with and them promptly hung a board up in a blow-down. Said a few choice words and about threw all of it into the lake.... finally decided to call it and headed to the house about 6:30....
Should have headed to a different part of the lake where I knew the fish were in higher quantities, but I also knew there would be a lot more fishing pressure and was looking to find a new spring pattern. Fished 6 creeks and think I had a hit on a board in 5 of the 6, and a swirl in the one that I didn't get a hit on - so at least I confirmed where some fish where - they just were not in eating mood today. Still managed 2 fish to the boat - one being a nice 17 lber - and the one that "could have been" which broke off..... If it wasn't for all the tangled mess at the end of the day it would have been pretty enjoyable.... should have cut my losses earlier than I did.... I think the jet-lag was contributing to my neglect and then foul mood at the end...... back to work this week so I can catch up on my sleep & be ready for next weekend
